Do no injustice: literally “Do not make a perversion of justice.” The Revised Standard Version rendering reflects the Hebrew, which has a negative formulation of this requirement. Good News Translation has stated the same truth in a positive manner. The decision about which model to follow should be based on what is most natural in the receptor language.

In judgment: this term is used here in its stricter sense, meaning “legal rulings” or “in a court of law,” rather than the general sense of an opinion expressed on any kind of subject.

Be partial to the poor: literally “lift up the face of the poor.” Some other languages have similar expressions for showing partiality or playing favorites, such as “to look at the face of…” or “treat … with special care.”

Defer to the great: the great in the context of this verse clearly refers to those who are the opposite of the poor, that is, “the rich.” This is made explicit in New Jerusalem Bible as well as Good News Translation. Moffatt has “the powerful man” (similarly An American Translation). New American Bible renders the same word “the mighty.”

In righteousness shall you judge your neighbor: since this is a repetition of the same idea that is presented in negative form at the beginning of this verse, it may be left implicit at the end. On the word neighbor, see 6.2 and verse 13 above.

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .